Electronic reading device with a mid-frame structure

Abstract

An electronic reading device, including: a housing, wherein exterior surfaces of the housing include a first main surface, a second main surface, a first edge, a second edge, a third edge, and a fourth edge, and each of the first edge, the second edge, the third edge, and the fourth edge is located in between the first main surface and the second main surface, and a display that is surrounded by the housing, wherein the first main surface of the electronic reading device includes the display, and the second main surface of the electronic reading device is an opposing surface to the first main surface, wherein the housing includes an extended housing portion that is spaced away from one edge of the display by a distance, and the extended housing portion includes a first button and a second button to control the movement of text and/or images that are displayed.

1 . An electronic reading device, comprising:
 a housing, wherein exterior surfaces of the housing comprise a first main surface, a second main surface, a first edge, a second edge, a third edge, and a fourth edge, and each of the first edge, the second edge, the third edge, and the fourth edge is located in between the first main surface and the second main surface, and   a display that is surrounded by the housing, wherein the first main surface of the electronic reading device includes the display, and the second main surface of the electronic reading device is an opposing surface to the first main surface,   wherein the housing includes an extended housing portion that is spaced away from one edge of the display by a predetermined distance, and the extended housing portion includes a first button and a second button that are configured to control the movement of text and/or images that are displayed on the display, and   wherein the first button is configured to advance a document or image that is displayed one page when pressed once by a user and the second button is configured to move the document or image that is displayed back one page when pressed once by a user or the first button is configured to move the document or image that is displayed back one page when pressed once by a user and the second button is configured to advance the document or image that is displayed one page when pressed once by a user based on a detected vertical or horizontal orientation of the electronic reading device.   
     
     
         2 . The electronic reading device of  claim 1 , wherein the first button and the second button are raised so that they extend beyond the first main surface. 
     
     
         3 . The electronic reading device of  claim 2 , wherein the first button and the second button are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         4 . The electronic reading device of  claim 3 , wherein the first button and the second button each have a rectangular shape, with a longitudinal axis of the rectangular shape being parallel to the first edge. 
     
     
         5 . The electronic reading device of  claim 4 , wherein the first button and second button have the same shape, a spacer is located in between the first button and the second button, and the spacer is in contact with the first button and the second button. 
     
     
         6 . The electronic reading device of  claim 5 , wherein the spacer has the same shape and size as the first button and the second button, but an exterior surface of the spacer is flush with an exterior surface of the first main surface. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The electronic reading device of  claim 1 , wherein the first button or the second button is configured to advance or reverse multiple pages when the first button or the second button is held down, and longer the first button or the second button is held down, the faster the pages will move. 
     
     
         9 . The electronic reading device of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a memory device configured to store a number of pages that are advanced or reversed when the first button or the second button is held down.   
     
     
         10 . The electronic reading device of  claim 1 , wherein the first button and the second button are configured to control scrolling up and down within a menu that displays information regarding a plurality of e-books. 
     
     
         11 . The electronic reading device of  claim 1 , wherein the first button and the second button are configured to control paging up and down within a displayed web page or menu. 
     
     
         12 . The electronic reading device of  claim 1 , wherein when a Portable Document Format (PDF) file is displayed on the display, and the display is displaying less than the entire page of the PDF file, the first button and a second button are configured to control which portion of the page of the PDF file is viewed when pressed. 
     
     
         13 . A method for controlling an electronic reading device that includes a housing that contains a processor device, a memory device, a display, and an accelerometer, wherein a first button and a second button are located on an exterior surface of the housing, the method comprising:
 detecting, by the accelerometer, an orientation of the electronic reading device;   pressing, by a user, the first button; and   controlling, by the processor device, movement of text and/or images that are displayed on the display based on the pressing of the first button and the detected orientation of the electronic reading device,   wherein the first button is configured to advance a document or image that is displayed one page when pressed once by a user and the second button is configured to move the document or image that is displayed back one page when pressed once by a user or the first button is configured to move the document or image that is displayed back one page when pressed once by a user and the second button is configured to advance the document or image that is displayed one page when pressed once by a user based on a detected vertical or horizontal orientation of the electronic reading device.   
     
     
         14 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein when the pressing of the first button includes holding the first button down, controlling a document or image that is displayed to advance or reverse multiple pages based on the holding of the first button, wherein longer the first button is held down, the faster the pages will move. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 storing, in the memory device, a number of pages that are advanced or reversed when the first button is held down.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 displaying, on the display, a menu that displays information regarding a plurality of e-books; and   pressing of the first button controls scrolling up or down within the menu that displays the information regarding the plurality of e-books.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the pressing of the first button controls paging up or down within a displayed web page or menu. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 displaying, on the display, a Portable Document Format (PDF) file,   wherein when the display is displaying less than the entire page of the PDF file, the pressing of the first button controls which portion of the page of the PDF file is viewed.